France and the Republic of Moldova have started negotiations on a defense agreement, AFP reported from the office of the French Minister of Defense, who was in Chisinau on Monday.

“France will continue to support Moldova in the face of any destabilization attempts,” the minister’s office said after Sebastien Lecornu’s visit.

The Republic of Moldova borders Ukraine and includes Transnistria, a pro-Russian separatist region of 300,000 people in the east of the country.

During his visit, the French minister and his counterpart, Anatoly Nosati, signed “a letter of intent to strengthen defense cooperation and help Moldova modernize its army,” Sebastien Lecornu reported on X, formerly Twitter.

Chisinau also announced the purchase of the Ground Master 200 (GM 200) radar, already ordered by Kyiv and manufactured by Thales, with a range of 250 kilometers to enhance surveillance of Moldova’s airspace.

“In addition, we will conduct an audit of air defense resources to contribute to the strengthening of the security of the skies of the Republic of Moldova,” Sebastian Lecornu said.

Fragments of a missile were found in Transnistria on Monday, authorities said, while not yet establishing any link to a new Russian attack in neighboring southern Ukraine.